1. When the film about this Kavanaugh confirmation is made it could be called Revenge of the Starr Warriors. A minor character would be editor at the Nat Rev, Jonah Goldberg, a usually even-keeled Never Trump conservative turned hyper-partisan GOP warrior for Kav.
2. Read this testimonial about Starr-world by David Brock. He was one of the conservative hacks going after the Clintons in the 90s, now he plays for the other team. Not a 100% trustworthy source, but the number of familiar names was stunning. nbcnews.com/think/opinion/…
3. Let's recall some of the ppl connected to Starr in the late 90s, folks obsessed with taking down the Clintons and digging up any dirt on them that they could. Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham, Tucker Carlson, Matt Drudge, George Conway (Kellyanne's hubby), & Kavanaugh. Swampy much? 
4. I highly recommend season 2 of the Slow Burn podcast on the Clinton impeachment. It does a brilliant job of recapturing the feverishly partisan atmosphere in DC in the mid to late 90s. Starr's team were the Avenatti's of the 90s, we might say. newyorker.com/culture/podcas…
5. To a surprising extent, this Kavanaugh confirmation process feels like a mixed-up sequel to that Starr moment. Several characters are the same, only this time THEY are the ones saying that accusations of sexual assault are a cynically partisan hit job against a fine man.
6. These people know, of course, that Lewinsky's story was true (and that it was an indicator that there were other cases of harassment as well). They also know that their partisan zeal led them to imagine all sorts of other nutty things the Clintons supposedly did but didn't do.
7. And now this group of folks with ties to uber-partisan Starr are lamenting the irrational partisanship they claim is behind Dr. Ford's testimony. Based on their actions during the Starr investigation, it's clear that these folks know partisan irrationality when they see it.
8. They also were once very eager to argue that sexual harassment (and lying to cover it up) was disqualifying for high office when Clinton did it. They devoted years of their lives to that proposition.
9. And now they are using every tool they've got (whataboutism, conspiracy theories, attack the victim, etc.) to make the opposite case. "This is all a vast (left)-wing conspiracy to take down Kavanaugh because they don't like his politics." Sound familiar?
10. Here's another thing I learned from Slow Burn. The folks on the Starr team didn't really give much of a sh*t about Monica Lewinsky or the issue of sexual harassment more generally. They wanted to take down Clinton, and they used her to do it.
11. In the process of publicizing her case, however, these Starr Warriors unintentionally raised more public awareness about the issue of sexual harassment (just as they did when conservatives viciously went after Anita Hill, provoking a backlash).
12. When it works to their partisan advantage (Clinton's impeachment, Kennedy bashing), GOP conservatives are very willing to play the role of people *very concerned* about sexual harassment. Their legislative track record, however, is not so strong. Non-existent, some might say.
13. But since the 90's there has been a massive culture shift around gender and sexuality which most conservatives decry. Gay marriage is now legal, something that was almost unthinkable in the 90s. Awareness around trans issues has been revolutionized.
14. The feminist ideas about "affirmative consent" that seemed so radical in the late 80's & early 90's have gained much traction w/ today's young people. These changing cultural mores fed into #metoo& are a source of great consternation on the right. nytimes.com/2018/04/08/ins…
15. The irony, of course, is that conservatives helped propel these changes by first generating much public sympathy for Anita Hill, & then exposing Bill Clinton's abuse in the 90s. Now they want to put that genie back in the bottle because it's not politically useful to them.
16. It doesn't work that way.
17. Cultural change is a powerful force that can be harnessed, but not effectively resisted. I suspect the conservatives who tried to use it selectively in the 90s will soon find themselves overwhelmed by it at the ballot box as women and young people flee the @gop.
